favorite traditional block?

My favorite changes, but for the moment I am enjoying the card trick.

I sure don't know anything about it, other than it suits my right brained mind. I like the squareness of it and how different it looks by changing fabric patterns. I have even replaced the center block with a solid and it looks pretty cool.

I like Log Cabin too, but it is far older than the 1800s. It is based on Manx blocks from hundreds years before (the wife of one of the original Pilgrim Fathers was from the Isle of Mann), and the design has been found in the wrapping of mummies over 2500yo.

Modern Log Cabin variations offer an infinite variety of styles and patterns, and I particularly like the non-square ones. My favourite blocks would be applique, but LC is a close second.

My favourite block is absolutely the Dresden Plate - love it. Finished a queen- sized Dresden Plate quilt not long ago, now I'm starting another quilt that has that block incorprated in it with others.

Sharon (N.B.)

Like you, I think my all time favorite is the log cabin. It is so very versatile! Small changes create a whole new look. The other equally simple one with lots of possibilities is the 9 patch. And then there is the snowball, which makes a great alternate block with the

9 patch and many others. It also provides a great place to show off hand quilting. All of them simple to make, but allow so many variations.

Happy Quilting Marilyn in Alberta, Canada

I'm enjoying one of those rare quiet moments in the practice. First relatively decent day weather wise in over a week so patients have better things to do than to come to see me!

I am still fighting the telephone company; still no phone line in the house so I still have to access the web when I can from work. I do try to get to the group at least once a week to keep up with reading the messages! And I post when I think I have something to say (other than gibberish!)

As usual, I do most of my creative thinking on the road as I travel from one town to another, from one medical office to another. My car knows the road by heart, so that leaves me free to let my mind ruminate on more interesting matters like quilting! Lately I've been obsessing about traditional quilt blocks, pieced or appliquéd. Does everyone have a favorite traditional quilt block? Do you know its name? Does the block have a history? Do you know the history? Why is it your favorite block? Do you know how old the block is/dated?

And while we're at it, anyone know of a listing of traditional blocks?

If I had to choose, my favorite block would probably be the log cabin block. I beleive it goes back to the 1800's or so, back when the west was won! Why is it my favorite? I guess it's because it's such a versatile block. It can be scrappy or elegant, muted or bright, happy or sad, but it is never boring! To me it is a block that is relatively easy to make, and no matter what you do to it, it always looks good.

Ok, gotta go; patients have suddely decided to beat down my door again!

Claudia

I, also, vote for the log cabin block. There's the lop sided log cabin which looks almost circular, the log cabin with corner squares added in each round of logs; flying geese added; applique on the log cabin in it's various settings; pieced or appliqued or fussy cut center squares surrounded by the logs.... and don't even get me started on the jillions of possibilities for settings! It's a good filler block, a good border and a good medallion when used with other blocks. It's The Everything Block- and easy to make and accurate! I have made so many log cabins that I got to where I could start with pulling the fabrics from my stash to a finished top in FOURTEEN hours! I am very fond of the log cabin in Christmas fabrics and almost everyone I know has received one from me plus several Christmas log cabin quilt tops that I donated to various raffles.

I took a pic of my blue and yellow log cabin top.... this house is small and the top will be 10 ft. X 10 ft. so I don't have a room large enough to lay it out flat. VBG I made the top and am appliquing and quilting it in four sections. It's a very "unique" setting that I dreamed up.... prolly in some nightmare! The aplique was added because the top looked too boring and I'd lost interest in it. I've got the applique on just two of the four sections right now.

Leslie & The Furbabies > Good morning everyone!

You can find log cabin designs wrapping Egyptian mummies! (Although these were not pieced but folded.) Roberta in D

"CATS" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:45a6305b snipped-for-privacy@news.chariot.net.au...

I tend to binge on a block for a while, then become totally sated with it. Did lots of log cabins, then lots of drunkard's path, then several hexagon-based quilts (Granny's Garden, tumbling blocks), etc. But a recurring favorite is the variable star based on a 4 X 4 grid, also the Ohio Star on a 9-patch grid. Most blocks seem to have more than one name. A useful reference is "1001 Patchwork Designs" by Maggie Malone. Roberta in D

"claudia" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@o58g2000hsb.googlegroups.com... Good morning everyone!

I'm enjoying one of those rare quiet moments in the practice. First relatively decent day weather wise in over a week so patients have better things to do than to come to see me!

I am still fighting the telephone company; still no phone line in the house so I still have to access the web when I can from work. I do try to get to the group at least once a week to keep up with reading the messages! And I post when I think I have something to say (other than gibberish!)

As usual, I do most of my creative thinking on the road as I travel from one town to another, from one medical office to another. My car knows the road by heart, so that leaves me free to let my mind ruminate on more interesting matters like quilting! Lately I've been obsessing about traditional quilt blocks, pieced or appliquéd. Does everyone have a favorite traditional quilt block? Do you know its name? Does the block have a history? Do you know the history? Why is it your favorite block? Do you know how old the block is/dated?

And while we're at it, anyone know of a listing of traditional blocks?

If I had to choose, my favorite block would probably be the log cabin block. I beleive it goes back to the 1800's or so, back when the west was won! Why is it my favorite? I guess it's because it's such a versatile block. It can be scrappy or elegant, muted or bright, happy or sad, but it is never boring! To me it is a block that is relatively easy to make, and no matter what you do to it, it always looks good.

Ok, gotta go; patients have suddely decided to beat down my door again!

Claudia

Great subject, Claudia. A good listing of blocks can be gotten online or in various books. I love to look through 5,500 Quilt Block Designs by Maggie Malone, ISBN

1-4027-2047-5 even though it is mostly pieced blocks. I don't have any books primarily for applique yet, but Better Homes and Gardens 501 Quilt Blocks has quite a few I plan to do. An online listing of blocks can be found at as well as othersites.

I can't list just one favorite. In the pieced category I am drawn to Churn Dash

OhioStar and Spool for their hominess, andRose Dream for it's beauty.They are all simple blocks with relatively few pieces, but I like themfor their simplicity and calmness. I am not sure about traditional applique blocks, but one real beauty that comes to mind is Star and Crescent I don't carefor the formality of Baltimore Album style blocks or the overly sweetSun Bonnet Sue, and applique has such a wide variety that I can bedoing applique for the rest of my life without ever making atraditional block, but I am finding blocks with single naturalflowers, blocks with single leaves, and blocks with butterflies andother critters to be my favorites. I've also got a candy jar quilt tomake, but instead of using the usual paper pieced blocks I plan toapplique it all so I can have more options for jar shapes. Debra in VA See my quilts at

what method you planned on for that rdw block. i'm considering it for 3D if i can wrap my head round the right starting sqs. i'll need 2 big squares, 2 small sqs for the corners and one medium sq for the middle thingy in each quadrant. then must work out the order to sew together. having just thot of this for this particular block havent had time to wrap brain around it fully yet, lol. more tea please. :)) thanks for pointing this one out to me, Debra. cheers, jeanne

the wrapping design on corners of cane tables etc is much like log cabin too. i never really thot about that til this discussion, cool. ta muchly. jeanne

I doubt I will ever make a Rose Dream unless I applique it. I have a twin sized RD that Grandma made the top in 1968 intending to give it to me, and Mom quilted it in 2005-2006. It's red, white, and sky blue--very stunning combination that has stood the test of time. Grandma pieced it, and it was her biggest quilting accomplishment, unfortunately she never did figure out what sort of quilting pattern to use (She only did Baptist Fan quilting and knew the top deserved something different.) so it stayed hidden in a closet for years. Mom began quilting on it to help with the grieving process after Grandma died, and to give the quilt the life it deserved. She used several quilting motifs including medallions, tulips, hearts, and cables for the outer borders. It is one of my most prized possessions.

Debra in VA See my quilts at

I've put a picture of the twin sized Rose Dream on my webshots in the folder Mom's Quilts. Debra in VA See my quilts at

wow, Debra. nice job from all of you. :) that makes a rather cool chain when all laid out side by side too. ok, ok, i'll get thunk'n on that one soon and see if it will indeed work in

3D or will i need to eat more cereal so i can make a template for applique, lol.

cheers from a warm rainy summer day in the south pacific, the garden loves this weather and grows like topsy. guess dh will be out mowing soon as it stops and drys out a wee bit, eh. lol. jeanne

So you don't think you want to try sewing the curved seams for a pieced RD block any more than I would want to? Hee,hee. Curves are so not a problem in applique though! Have you ever changed any other pieced block design into an applique design? I've been thinking of doing the same thing to several blocks, and I've been finding out that I am not the first to think of applique-ing some traditionally pieced blocks.

I'm not sure how you would make it 3D, all I can think of is puffy where the colored parts are and flat in the white parts.

Ha, he'll be mowing in the heat of summer and I'll be sleeping in the cold winter night. Debra in VA See my quilts at

i quite like applique. curves are not a problem for me. i like the 3D effect whenever i can get it. i've no idea why really. from a distance looks the same but up close its got wee pockets. goodness me, no puffy and flat bits. have you ever folded a square in half on the diagonal then rolled that bias edge back over itself. stitch it do to stay in a curve then lay that over another square and you've got similar to drunkards path block. this can be done slightly differently by laying two sqs on top of one another, sewing down two adjacent sides, then flip one corner out. oh dear this is too hard for me to explain today. it is possible tho. i've done it using various size squares together as well. one small sq with one big sq will give you a whole different look when joined up into a bigger area. it also works with rectangles. check out jessamys tradewinds block. sorry if this is all confuddling. writing it all down without pix is a bit like that.

i'm on yahoo msg'r if that helps. will be online again in my morning tho if you wanna see pix, i can draw it for ya in the doodle screen. :) night night for now. i'm off to peel fix some vege for dinner. cheers, jeanne

Hi Claudia,

I have two favorites. The first is called Sister's Choice. I don't know it's history, but we used it in a block swap many years ago, and I received the most lovely blocks. (And much to my embarrassment, although the top is pieced, it is still waiting for the quilting. Eke!) My other favorite is Broken Band. I am also ignorant of it's history, but it sews up into a very nice 3-D effect. Whenever I'm in need of block I turn to these two.

Sharon..

I have just started my first Dresden Plate and I agree I love it too! DO you have any pictures to share or quilting ideas after you have put your blocks together.

I thought about sash> claudia wrote:

Claudia, as I started reading your message - before I even got down to your favorite I was thinking the log cabin is probably my favorite. There is so much you can do with log cabins. I've used them for an entire quilt, I've used them as borders around a center panel. They are just so versatile.

I'm not Sharon but I was given an old shredded dresden plate quilt that I have started to reproduce. Actually the top is done except the border. It is set up like this one:

I think Marissa is working on a dresden plate also but can't remember any details. They are one of my favorites. Taria

WV Quilter wrote: